News In Brief

January 16, 1996

The US

President Clinton and GOP leaders plan to resume budget wrangling tomorrow. But Senator Dole told KABC-TV in Los Angeles there's no reason to continue the talks unless Clinton stops ''all the politicking.'' Meanwhile, House budget chairman John Kasich, an Ohio Republican, told NBC's ''Meet the Press'' that Republicans will no longer shut down the government to pressure Clinton to adopt their budget plan. (Story, Page 1.)

Mexico is concerned about US government plans to move more border agents and equipment to Arizona and California today to prevent an expected seasonal surge of illegal immigrants. US military forces could eventually be used to patrol the border in efforts to control illegal immigration and smuggling, Attorney General Janet Reno said.

Guinevere Garcia, who is scheduled to die by lethal injection in Illinois tomorrow, would be the second woman executed in the US since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. She has told death-penalty opponents trying to block her execution to ''stay out of my life.'' (Story, Page 3.)

The latest New Hampshire presidential poll shows Dole (above) rating a solid 33 percent in the key primary state, but many supporters said they could change their minds. Publisher Steve Forbes holds second place with 17 percent, and columnist Patrick Buchanan has 11 percent. The six other major Republican candidates had 5 percent or less. Separately, Forbes denounced a story in rival Fortune magazine that attacks his magazine for sparing large advertisers from tough criticism, The New York Times reported. Fortune estimated Steve Forbes's worth at $439 million.

Rookie spacewalkers Leroy Chiao and Daniel Barry took a smooth, six-hour stroll in outer space to try out new construction tools and techniques and evaluate upgraded spacesuits. NASA is training spacewalkers to help assemble a space station.

Former President Bush says his administration may have mishandled Iraq's surrender in the Persian Gulf war. In an interview with David Frost that airs tonight on PBS, Bush says Saddam Hussein might not still be in power if it had been done differently.

The site of a former pencil factory in Atlanta will be added to a historic district honoring Martin Luther King Jr. as part of celebrations marking his birthday. The 5.5 acre site will be converted into a parking lot for a King visitors center. Meanwhile, Clinton planned to attend a service at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church commemorating the civil rights activist ,followed by a tour of the Olympic Stadium.

Calling it a potential ''political fiasco,'' Republican Senator Hatch said on CBS's ''Face the Nation'' that Mrs. Clinton should not be subpoenaed to testify before Congress about her role in the Whitewater real estate deal. The investigating committee should gather as much information as possible ''before we even consider doing something like that to a first lady,'' he said. The committee said they would seek White House e-mail messages as part of their probe. Also, Mrs. Clinton's supporters accused the GOP of a ''witch hunt'' to create political controversy.

New York City's crime rate dropped 17 percent in 1995, with the steepest decline - 25 percent - in homicides. The figures continue a four-year downward trend, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said. Criminologists traced the decline to fewer turf wars between crack dealers, fewer crime-prone young men, and harsh winters. The police insist they deserve most of the credit.

A 3-1/2-year federal probe into an illegal trash heap called ''the Mountain'' has resulted in bribery charges involving at least 40 Chicago officials. The FBI used a contractor-turned-federal informant to expose the alleged corruption. The Mountain has been growing since the 1980s.

Rep. William Clinger of Pennsylvania won't seek reelection after 18 years in the House. He is a key GOP investigator of the White House. Rep. Pat Williams, Democrat of Montana, is also retiring. ''I'm homesick,'' he said.

The World

A swap of 900 prisoners in Bosnia was scuttled when the Bosnian government insisted on a Serb explanation for the disappearance of nearly 25,000 Bosnian Muslims. The huge number of missing has fed suspicions of more unidentified mass graves in Bosnian Serb territory. Earlier, President Clinton asked Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to provide assistance to foreign investigators in their search for such graves. (Story, Page 1.)

Russian troops stormed a village where Chechen rebels held about 100 hostages after the separatists reportedly killed some of their captives. One Rus-sian soldier was killed, but there was no word on other casualties. ''We want the terrorists punished and wiped out,'' President Yeltsin told the Itar-Tass news agency. And Nikolai Yegorov, a hard-liner who commanded the military operation in Chechnya in 1994, was appointed Yeltsin's chief of staff. (Story, Page 1.)

Israeli police forcibly evicted dozens of Jewish squatters from homes in the settlement of Kiryat Arba. The homes, taken over by militant Jewish settlers last year, are to be used as a base for Israeli troops after they withdraw from Hebron in March. And Syria offered Israel full peace in return for full withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights, but Israel gave no tangible offer to Syria, the official Syrian newspaper Al-Baath reported.

Greece's ailing Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou is likely to be replaced next week. Pappandreou's PASOK party's central committee plans to meet Saturday and is expected to agree on an immediate replacement. Front-runners to succeed Papandreou are Defense Minister Gerassimos Arsenis and former Industry Minister Costas Smitis.

The Worldwatch Institute praised Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and Britain for their environmentally sound economic policies. The liberal Washington think tank said the countries are gradually shifting away from taxing income to taxing activities that destroy the environment. It also applauded population-control efforts in China and Iran.

Jose Santacruz Londono, the No. 3 man in the Cali drug cartel who escaped from a Bogota prison last week, said he doesn't want to start a wave of terrorism but warned Colombian officials to treat him fairly. Police fear he will unleash a terror campaign similar to that waged by Pablo Escobar, the Medellin drug cartel leader killed by police in 1993. Meanwhile, the director of the Palmira prison, which houses members of the cartel, was killed Saturday by gunmen. No one claimed responsibility.

Moshood Abiola, Nigeria's most prominent political prisoner, must agree to leave Nigeria in exchange for his freedom, the government reportedly said. In the past, the military junta demanded only that he pledge to stay out of politics.

Jorge Sampaio won Portugal's presidential elections with 54 percent of the vote. The elections were held as President Mario Soares completed the maximum two five-year terms.

Andre Agassi of the US overcame the challenge of Gaston Etlis of Argentina, winning 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in the first round of the Australian Open tennis. Anna Smashnova (Israel) caused the first major upset, defeating No. 12 seed Natasha Zvereva (Belarus) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.

Etceteras

Buying the Presidency

The following are the biggest donors to 1996 presidential candidates since the mid-1970s.